Day Eighteen: Love endures all things (Isaiah 63:7)

Day Eighteen: Love endures all things

Isaiah 63:7 "I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love."

In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul says this “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”

"This passage is not just about Love: it is about each of us ..."
"If we pay attention to Paul's advice think of the impact on our relationships ..."
"This is practical advice for us and our relationships ..."
"In our sermon today we will examine ways we can be more loving..."
"Today we will look at 16 ways to improve your love life ... "
"Today we look at what the Bible says our love should look like ..."
"Replace the words “Love” and “it” in the above passage with your name and read it aloud."

These could all be wonderful sermons ... but I think perhaps they miss the point. Love is not about me; it is not an "I" thing; it is not a "self" thing. It is about the selfless. 1 Corinthians 13 is the call to look upward not inward. 

There is a purpose to everything under heaven: When I go to change the oil in my car I don't take the Bible for detailed instruction. I did not study the Bible to pass my accounting exams. I made stew yesterday - I didn't look for a recipe in Scripture. There is certainly talk of oil, money and meat in the Bible but car maintenance, business and cooking are far from its primary purpose. The Bible is the story of God and His Love for us.

Scripture, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 is about God. God created out of Love, God provided out of Love, God became incarnate out of Love, God suffered in the flesh and laid down His life out of Love, and God will come again because of Love. God endures all things out of Love. The tapestry of Biblical narrative is magnificently woven together in intricacies beyond human imagination; it brilliantly illustrates who God is, our need for Him and His desire to restore our relationship to Him. Scripture clearly states our need for God; this too is an act of Love.

God is Love. Scripture calls us to lift our heads up, stop gazing at ourselves and see the Light that is Love. Replace the words “Love” and “it” in 1 Corinthians 13 with God, then read it aloud. No matter how you view it, the very definition of God is Love - that is the Love we are coming to know as we seek the person and the purpose of the Christ of Christmas.

1 John 4:7-12 "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us."